Monthly Archives: October 2014

How is it even possible that I forgot that today was sentencing day for the Giudices on their mortgage fraud cases?!? I had followed this story, and even blogged at length about it quite a bit (see my prior blogs for details) and now the day has come. 41 months for Joe, 15 month of actual jail time for Tre. She begged for house arrest and leniency, but the judge said no (even though the judge still gave her a lighter sentence than what was expected. Let’s break it down, should we?

First off, I have made no secret about the fact that I believe Joe and Teresa are guilty of fraud. I came to this conclusion after taking the time to view the mortgage docs that are on public record. I have a mortgage underwriting background, and I could see that signatures didn’t match, stories didn’t add up, and it was clear that assets were being hidden. The proof is in the legal documentation. I believe they did someone they shouldn’t have, although at times I am not sure how much Teresa knew. I think she may have been in the dark about SOME of it, but definitely not ALL.

I also feel like this year, Andy got her to agree to do the show, perhaps in return for cashola and a “good” edit. Regardless of what you think of Teresa, she hasn’t gotten a “good” edit the past couple of seasons, and if she had a PR person, I have said it before that they should have been fired before this year. When you’re filing for bankruptcy,it doesn’t behoove you to be flaunting your cash and assets (then claim you don’t have them). Teresa needed someone in her life to tell her to sit down, shut up, and stop buying shit. Add to that the storylines with her fighting with her family, and being a troublemaker sure wasn’t helping her image.

This year, we saw a quieter, more humble and demure Teresa, one who kept her nose to the ground and played up her “family card”, this time making sure not to actually fight with them. She made sure to play the “I’m keeping this situation quiet and personal” role, even though she was in fact playing it out on national television. When the gossip from crypt keeper Gotti game out, Teresa was probably told to tell someone, so she tells Dina, says she’s not going on the trip, and goes silent. It’s kind of what we saw with Melissa the past few years, but this time it seemed more believable that she didn’t want to get involved. Melissa, Andy, you guys win. You sold me. I found Teresa way more like able this year, and you got me to feel bad for her. Yep, I said it.

I never really thought I would utter those words, but it’s true. Maybe it’s because I see Gia, and I know that she is probably scared to death. I am a mom, and I know that Teresa probably can’t stop worrying about her kids. A mistake made a few years ago has come back to bite her royally in the ass, and at the expense of her kids. That’s a lesson learned REAL fast. I thought the judge was pretty lenient, yes, I know Teresa wanted house arrest. Keep in mind folks, she’s living in a mansion with private gates, and probably has some hired help if she needs it. She’s not living at my house, in all my chaos. Yeah, I’d beg to go stay in her mansion for a few months too! Instead, after getting into that mansion at the expense of others (yes, mortgage fraud does hurt other people financially) she is going from the woman who got skeeved by living in a house someone else had lived in, to a woman who is gonna be living in real close quarters with people I think she’ll probably find skeevy. That being said, she’s not going to a hard core prison. I don’t think Crazy Eyes and Pennsketucky are going to be roaming around. She’ll probably do 6 months at a minimum security prison, and she’s not going to be shacked up with murderers. Joe will be home while she is in there, and then he’ll go in once she’s done. He’s not getting deported. They got off…light, in my opinion considering they had over 30 charges. Still, I feel bad for her as a mother. I hate being away from my kids for a night, never mind 6-10 months (she’ll probably get time off the 15 months for good behavior).

Oh, one more thing. I was surprised the cast and others didn’t get why Jim didn’t hang with Joe. It’s probably a conflict of interest, and frankly unwise for any of them, Jim investigates fraud, joe is accused of fraud. Them going out for beers is going to raise eyebrows and could likely compromise an investigation. At the very least, it would raise a few eyebrows. Jim is an interesting character on the show. Weasely and whiney, yet I feel he’s got plenty of inside scoop that he seems to enjoy sharing. Certainly more interesting than Bobby, who is too busy hiding in the bathroom to be of any use to anyone.

So now what? She told the judge she’s not interested in tv shows, but there’s still a few episodes left, as well as a reunion. Who can’t wait for the reunion? This girl!

One last thing… People may wonder about Andy in all this. Andy is brilliant at what he does. He got Teresa on this year and promoted they would follow her as she went through this. He probably promised her a “nice” edit, and she got one. She came out this season looking like a good , hardworking mom who was humble, and they stripped her of the blatant entitlement and backstabbery she was exhibiting in other seasons. She came out like her shit smelled like roses this year. It probably helped her case a bit, in my opinion. It showed a softer, sorrier side. Had she gone to sentencing after the table flip, she would have had a tougher sentence, in my humble opinion. Let’s face it though, after the cast has been shuffled a few times, it’s a sign things are losing steam. When the stories have all be told, and you need new faces, it’s often a sign that they are grasping to fill a hole. Last season of RHONJ was almost my last, because I felt like Bill Murray in Groundhog Day. Same story, over and over. I stopped caring. This season, regardless of what you thought of Teresa, still could get you in the feels when you saw her daughter knowing her parents might go to jail. Andy also gets the benefit of the upcoming reunion. You KNOW that reunion is going to be big fat gooey ratings! I know I’ll be watching!

Teresa, seriously, I haven’t been a fan, but I wish you guys well over the next few years.